The Significance of Sacrifice

As we conclude our series, Immeasurably More, I want to talk to you today about the significance of sacrifice. The significance of sacrifice. The Bible tells us this way. Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your lives as a living sacrifice. Holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. If you are going to follow the Lord, there's going to be moments where God challenges you to sacrifice. To sacrifice for your family. To sacrifice for the marriage. To sacrifice for your job. Anything significant that God is going to do through your life will require sacrifice. Someone just needs the encouragement today that your sacrifice is making a difference. That what you're doing is going to pay off. If you ever found anybody that's successful at anything in life, at sports, you realize they made it because they sacrificed. If they're thriving in their family, it didn't just happen. It's because they sacrificed. If they are growing in their faith, it's because they sacrificed. If you sacrifice, there's significance that comes with it. Anyone that is struggling in an area, can I just say it this way? It's probably because you stopped sacrificing in that area. So you stopped sacrificing in the marriage and stopped laying down your life for that person. The marriage struggles. You stopped sacrificing when it comes to your time with God. You stopped waking up early, kept hitting that snooze button. What happens? You started struggling in that area. Any area you lack sacrifice is usually a place where you're suffering in your life. So I'm going to challenge us to lean in to areas of our life that God is challenging you to sacrifice for something significant. If you've ever had those moments where you showed up to a place where you should have sacrificed before, but you didn't, and you didn't come prepared, you feel embarrassed. You feel like, man, why didn't I do the work ahead of time? I remember the very first time I took my SAT. Now, I don't know if you remember yours, but I remember showing up. Did I study? No. Was I prepared? No. Was I embarrassed when I looked at the test? Yes. Did I take it three more times? Absolutely. Did I make a good score? No. Do I have the job I have now because of that? Probably. So that just happens. The reality is, is that you have to understand that there are things in your life that God wants you to do that are going to take some sacrifice, and you've got to lean into that. We're all making sacrifices. The question is not if you're sacrificing, but what are you sacrificing for? Sometimes you trade what you really want in life for the things that you are sacrificing for even right now that are not worth it. Some of you, you sacrifice sleep for video games. That's why you're late to church today.

Some of you, you sacrifice your peace of mind to argue with strangers on the internet. It ain't worth it. Some of you are sacrificing storage space for useless Amazon purchases. You know who you are. Some of you are sacrificing your ego to go viral on TikTok. Why? Some of you are sacrificing your dignity to paint your body to cheer on for your sports team. Why? Some of you are sacrificing money to buy pointless animals like a cat. Why? There's just no point. God is calling you to sacrifice for something significant. So let me show it to you in the book of Mark. We're going to look at a beautiful story of sacrifice that maybe you've heard before, but I really want to connect it to your life and show you that a life of sacrifice in every area of your life is worth it. Mark chapter 12 verse 41 says it this way. Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and he watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Wait, pause there for just a second because that'll mess up a lot of your theology. We're like God doesn't care what I give. Jesus was watching. Can you imagine writing the check and you're sitting there and Jesus is like, are you sure that's it? That's all you're going to do. I saw what you spent last year on that vacation. Come on. This is what you know. So, so Jesus is watching. And as they're watching, the Bible tells us what happens. It says, it says many rich people threw in their large amounts, but a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins worth only a few cents. You see what the world considered worthless. Jesus noticed it. Jesus noticed even the small sacrifice. This is called the widow's offering or the widow's might. You can buy these in Israel and they're, they're a cool little, little token to remember. that meant God cares about the little things that we do, the little sacrifice. It's not about the big amounts, it's about the little moments where you sacrifice to God. On your way out today, we got one for every single person, a widow's mite, that we put to a little card here just to remember that God cares about our sacrifice, and He sees it, and it's never worthless in the eyes of Jesus. Jesus recognizes it, and He celebrates when you choose to sacrifice. Can we give God some praise for that today? Church, make sure you get those on your way out. The Bible tells us that calling His disciples, Jesus says, truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more into the treasury than all the others. They gave out of their wealth, but she out of her poverty, she put in everything, all she had to live on. 2,000 years later, we're still talking about this lady's sacrifice. She showed us a way to live a lifestyle that honors the Lord in all ways, a life of sacrifice. How do we do it? I'm going to give you four things, and I'm going to

give them to you pretty quickly today. Number one, you got to start with the right heart. You got to start with the right heart. The widow wasn't noticed because of the amount that she gave. She was noticed because of the heart that she gave with, and when it comes to a life of sacrifice, make sure you have the right heart. How many know you can do the right thing with the wrong heart? You can serve, but you're resentful about it. You can give, but you're like, I'm not happy about it, God. You can forgive somebody else, but also be very frustrated during that whole time. I have five kids, and I'm really trying to teach them generosity and sharing. A big deal is like, share your toys. I have one of my children. I won't tell you which one, but that one, I'm like, hey, share with your siblings. Okay, of course, whatever. If it's mine, we can all share it. I have another one. I won't tell you which one he is. I'll say, share that ball, and you'll throw it at the sibling. I'm like, that's not what I meant. Well, they can have it. They both shared. One was with the right heart. The heart matters, and when it comes to your life, check your heart. When God tells you to sacrifice, check your heart. You go, well, I don't want to forgive that person. God says, well, that's what you're supposed to do. You're a Christian. You forgive. Whenever you are pushing back on sacrifice, check your heart. Maybe it's a heart issue. When there's a moment to walk in generosity, check your heart. When there's a moment to reach out to someone who's maybe a little bit difficult, check your heart. When there's moments to act like a Christian in our world, check your heart whenever you're resistant. You see, when Jesus called David, that he brought the prophet Samuel in, and all the brothers lined up to say, okay, we must be the next king. The Bible says the Lord said to Samuel, don't consider his appearance, his height. I've rejected them. He says, the Lord does not look at things the way people look at them. You've got to understand this about God. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. The heart. Listen, lean into this. When it comes to money, when it comes to finances, God doesn't want your stuff. He wants your heart. He wants you to have the heart to say, God, you are your primary importance. You are what I belong to. Whatever I have, I give it to you. I'm totally submitted to you. And this is so beautiful about this woman who came to church, and she said, I don't have much, but what I have, I give it to God because he's worth it. Hear me out. When it comes to money, God is more interested in the motive of your heart than the amount of money that you give. Because some of us are sitting there going, well, you know what? If I had this, and if I was at that level, and God's saying, no,

do you have a heart that's just willing to say, whatever you want me to do, I'll be obedient. Start with the right heart. Here's your second one. You've got to understand that equal sacrifice matters more than equal amounts. God never mandates everyone to give the same amount. This is all throughout scripture. That's the point of the widow's mite. That's the point of the parable. He's trying to say that every single person can participate in the plan of God. Everybody's gift matters. Everybody's sacrifice matters. And you will frustrate yourself if you're comparing yourself to another person and their amount of sacrifice and go, I'm not going to do anything because I can't do that. We have some people that show up at radiant at 5 a.m. And they stay in that portable location. and are sweating it out until two or three o'clock in the afternoon. That is a lot of time to give to the church and to give to the Lord. Praise God for them. And then we have other people that go, because I can't do that, I won't give a service a month. And I want you to know, that's not how God judges this. God says, are you faithful with what I've given you? You might not be in a season where you can give 10 hours of your day to the church. That's okay. Do what God's called you to do. You might not need a place that you can write a huge check. That's okay. Be faithful with what God has called you to do. The little bit that God does in your life is significant in the kingdom of God. And this is what I love, because sacrifice isn't for an exclusive group of the church. It's for all of us in the church. We're all called to do it. We're all called to reach out to our loved ones who don't know Christ. We're all called to serve in some capacity. We're all called to give. And here's why. Because sacrifice not only builds the church, it builds you. And by the way, the church won't get built just because a few people are part of this.

The church is built when everybody gets together. Everybody participates. And you won't be built by sitting there living in comfort and going, well, I'm just gonna do all the things that benefit my life. God gives us moments where we are called to be stretched in our faith and make a sacrifice. Can I say it this way? As Christians, that's what we do. We sacrifice. Your life should be marked by some moments where you are going, God, I am sacrificing for the kingdom of God. Sacrificing my ego, my pride, my finances. It's tough. And people go, I just, I don't like that idea. It's the bedrock of everything Christianity that Jesus shows us. Significance comes through sacrifice. And true followers of Jesus, we live different than the world. We sacrifice. We forgive when it's hard. We serve when it's inconvenient. We worship when we don't feel like it. Well, I don't like that song. It wasn't about you in the first place. It's about him. So we're gonna celebrate him. We're gonna do it. We're gonna get stretched. We're gonna live a life of sacrifice. Why? Because it's not just building the church, it's building us. And if your faith isn't costing you something, it won't change you. So let it have moments where it stretches you beyond what is comfortable. Because when you get out of that comfort zone, that's where you really walk into the plan of God for your life. Can I hear a good amen today, church? Number three, how do we live a life of sacrifice? Number three is that fear robs us of sacrifice. Some of you, God is calling you to step out, to go on a mission trip, serve someone at Christmas, invite a family member over that you don't wanna invite over. And it's frustrating. And what does it do? When God tells us to do it, fear comes in. Hear me out.

Anything great that God wants to do in your life is gonna eventually freak you out. Yeah, it's so good. God is gonna eventually tell you to do something that is going to freak you out. He's gonna tell you, start a business, and it doesn't make sense. Reach out to that loved one, it doesn't make sense. Serve in that area of ministry. I don't like kids anyway. But no, no, God's telling you to do it. There's gonna be moments in your life that God's gonna challenge you. Hey, write that check. Some of y'all don't know what that means. Put your credit card in. Give that amount. Help that person. It scares me. Don't let fear keep you from the promise that God has for your life. Paul challenged a young man in ministry named Timothy. He says, for God has not given us a spirit of fear. I know there's stuff going on in the government. I know there's craziness in our world today. I know there's a lot of instability. Radiant, we do not walk in fear. We have power, love, and a sound mind. We are not all over the map and all concerned about everything. No, no, no. We have a sound mind in this. Why? Because we don't live by fear. We live by faith. We live by faith. You have two options when God tells you to do something big. Walk in fear or walk in faith. And by the way, can I just say it this way? Both of them ask the same question. Fear and faith do. They ask this question, what if? Let's look at fear. Fear is all about what if. What if I reach out and nobody's there for me?

What if I ask that girl out and she says no? What if I sign up for that team and I don't like it? What if I join that group or start that group and nobody comes? What if I start that business and it fails? What if I give that gift and I'm broken? after it. What if that's what fear will do with your life? But let me just tell you, there's another what if that's marked in faith. What if that's marked in faith is what if God comes through for you? What if you stepped out and God came through in a supernatural way? Well, what if you ask that girl out? She said yes and ends up being your wife. Come on, somebody. You never know unless you step out in faith. What if you start that business and it actually does excel and you're able to make an impact for the kingdom of God? What if you say yes to that job, even if it doesn't make sense? What if you go back to counseling and you see your marriage restored? What if you acted in faith instead of in fear and watch God come through for you? God honors our moments of faith. Come on, somebody. God will bless you when you live a life of faith. Don't let fear rob you of this. And there's so many moments that God wants to do something so big and fear comes in. Now let me just be unbelievably way too transparent with you. This whole series idea I didn't want to do. I don't want to do it at all. You've been around Radiant for long enough. You know that this isn't what I like to preach about. I don't want to talk about vision. I don't want to talk about buildings. I don't want to talk about that. I like to preach the gospel. I like to see lives change. I like to see your friends that are far from God. I'm telling you, you better come back next Sunday because next Sunday I'm so pumped this is over because I got a word for your life. I got a word for your friends. I'm like candy palooza. We're going to hype your kids up all on sugar and I'm preaching the gospel. I'm pumped. But I say this to say fear came in. Well, people don't like me. Oh man, people are going to be upset. People don't understand the vision of the building. They don't understand what we're trying to do. And I almost let fear come in. Except you know what? I go, no, no, no. What if our church actually gets around the vision? What if we actually close on this property and able to double our impact in the Tampa Bay area? What if we can see Hillsborough actually packed out? What if in two years from now that we've done all of these projects and we're still debt free and we're doing millions of dollars in missions and outreach and seen tens of thousands of lives change? What if

we actually do what God tells us to do? And I made the moment going, you know what? I'm not going to lean in in fear. I'm going to step up in faith. And I know a lot of people don't like it, but I'm telling you, that's what God does. He blesses our moments of faith. Can I hear a good amen today? Church number four, number four, sacrifice becomes significant when it's invested in eternity. There are moments where God's going to challenge you to sacrifice and do something significant in your life. And it's significant. And let me just challenge you with this. Always have your sacrifice connected with eternity. Whatever you're giving your life to, have it connected with eternity. I love what Jesus says in Matthew. He says, don't store it for yourself, treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break into steel, but store it for yourself, treasures in heaven. Like make your life about eternity, where moths and rust do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart is. Like where I'm investing my life, that's where my heart is. And I want my life invested in eternity. And I love this story of this widow's might, because this widow who did not have enough, by the way, I think it's interesting to know that she showed up to the house of God. I think she didn't let her background, she didn't let her lack, she didn't let her issues keep her from the house of God. Don't pull back from the house of God. Lean in, even in your times of grief, even in your times of pain, lean into the house of God. And she leaned in and she gave her little bit to the house of God and Jesus noticed it. I'm telling you this. And the reason I'm preaching this after the offering, because I don't want there to be any connection and sit there and go, oh man, I feel bad. So I have to do this. No, no, no, no, no, no. I just want you to have a heart in the future to say, whatever God tells me to do for the house of God, I'm going to be behind it because the house of God is still his plan to see lives transformed for the glory of God around the Tampa Bay area, around the globe. Can I just say it this way? I love the church. I love it. The church is still God's plan A for reaching the world. The church that is mobilized has the greatest eternal rewards. The church is the one that feed the sick. The church cares for the broken. The church sends out missionaries. The church helps the widow. The church dedicates your baby. The church performs your marriage. The church is the one that counsels those who are hurting. The church is the one that baptizes new believers. It's the church that disciples. It's a church that creates environments for people to experience Jesus. It is a church that equips the saints for the work of ministry.

It is a church that sees people called into ministry. It is a church where you're going to raise your kids to love God and encounter God. It is a church where you're going to meet some of your closest friends. You're going to laugh together. You're going to cry together. You're going to grieve together. You're going to rejoice together. We do that in the church. The church is still the best form that God uses today to reach new people who are far from God. And when disaster strikes, do you know who shows up? The church shows up. When people are in need, the church is the hands and feet of Jesus. And I have news for you today. Jesus isn't coming back for our universities, our soup kitchens, and our orphanages, even though those are incredibly important. Jesus is coming back for the church, his bride. And we believe in it, and we are passionate about it, and we sacrifice for it. Come on, give him better praise than that today, church. I'm a big believer in the church. I love the church. And the church is still the hope of the world. It's a city set on a hill. And let me just say this. Guard your heart from getting weird about the church. Don't let some TikTok influencer dirty your heart. I don't know why you're letting them influence you in the first place. It's crazy. By the way, you talk bad about my bride, we're fighting.

You better not talk bad about the bride of Christ. If anybody said, well, I just think the church is all that. You don't know the church like I know it. Is it perfect? Of course not. But that's why we're here. We ain't perfect, but we're still his bride. And we're going to work hard on doing as best as we can to look more and more and more like Jesus every single day. Is there anybody that is grateful that we get to sacrifice for the church of Jesus Christ? So grateful for it. Sacrifice for something significant in your life. Jesus shows us this. He's our greatest example of sacrifice. His whole life was one of surrender. He left heaven, that was sacrifice. He resisted sin, sacrifice. He went to the cross, sacrifice. He rose again. He was victorious through his sacrifice. The Bible says he intercedes for us even right now. You know what that's showing us? Ongoing sacrifice. You want to live a life like Jesus? Live sacrificially. I don't know what's broken in your life, but I know the solution is sacrifice. Two things I'm going to pray for today. Number one is there's some of you

that you've stopped sacrificing for things that are significant in your life. Maybe it's your marriage. Maybe it's your church. Maybe it's your calling. Maybe it's your job. God's going to speak to you. Second group is that there's people in here that have never given their lives to Jesus. I'm going to give you an opportunity even right now. So close your eyes all across Tampa Bay. Nobody moving around. What's the Holy Spirit speaking about to your life today? What is that moment? What is that area of your life that you stopped sacrificing for? Maybe it's just your quiet times. Stopped waking up and spending time with God. Maybe it's your marriage. Maybe it's your children and you've become so job focused. You've kind of forgotten about them. Just let the Lord speak to you and say, today, God, I choose again, sacrifice. I choose to lay my life down, to do the difficult thing. Some of you, he's going to put a family member's name in your mind right now, our friend. Just the relationship has gotten broken and it's time for you to sacrifice and you to fix it.

God, we sacrifice for things that are significant. Thanks for watching. The best is yet to come.